Utah nurses who taped patient's mouth shut fired

SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah hospital has fired two nurses who taped a patient's mouth shut and then laughed about it.

Janet Frank, a spokeswoman for Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, says the nurses were fired Wednesday and the incident has been reported to the state Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.

KSL-TV reports that Penny Artalejo was admitted to intensive care Dec. 17 with nausea and anxiety from taking medication for chronic pain.

Her daughter Brittany Bilson says her mother's teeth were chattering.

Bilson says the nurses told her mother to shut up, taped her mouth closed and joked they would be fired if they were caught.

Bilson reported the incident to hospital officials.

Frank says the hospital isn't releasing the nurses' names because it's an internal employee issue.

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